Culture is often overlooked by geopolitical hardliners and strategic analysts as a soft power component, despite its transformative potential in shaping political na

Culture is often overlooked by geopolitical hardliners and strategic analysts as a soft power component, despite its transformative potential in shaping political narratives between nations. This is particularly relevant in the case of civilizational states like India and China, which have a history of peaceful coexistence and the exchange of ideas throughout ancient and mediaeval times through Buddhism. Buddhism in its original form, was preached throughout India from the 6th century BC.

Following the death of Buddha, his ideas continued to spread and influence the people living in East Asia and Southeast Asia, where they assimilated with indigenous religions.

 As a result, we see different strands of Buddhism, such as Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism, still existing today.

In China, Buddhism gained a strong foothold during the Tang dynasty and became 

Throughout ancient and mediaeval Chinese history, Buddhism was preached alongside Confucianism and Taoism to political elites and military generals who valued the virtues of patience, and stillness; ideas that are instrumental in governance as well as warfare. 

However, the exposition of Buddhism with China’s cultural identity took a sabbatical during a brief period of Maoism that despised religion of any kind within the political framework of the Chinese State.

Current political elites in China, unlike their early predecessors, do recognize the leverage that Buddhism can provide for the foreign policy manoeuvres of Beijing in Asia. For China, Buddhism serves a dual purpose: first, to mainstream the Buddhist identity of Tibet within mainland China, and second, to create a cultural attraction within Asian states that have a large Buddhist following.

In 2011, a Beijing-backed institution called the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation signed a framework agreement with the Nepalese government for the development of the

. This initiative includes the construction of temples, an airport, highways, hotels, convention centres, and a Buddhist university in Lumbini, creating a 

 that attracts a significant number of visitors from various locations.

Taking a page from China’s Buddhist Tourism trails, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2014 announced assistance for the development of Janakpur, Baraha Chhetra and Lumbini, including linking Lumbini with

Interestingly, the personal background of Xi Jinping also

 Buddhism as a cultural and political tool. Xi Jinping has special connections with Buddhism, as his father, Xi Zhongxun, received a watch from the Dalai Lama. His mother, Qi Xin, was buried with full Tibetan Buddhist rites, and his wife, Peng Liyuan, practises Tibetan Buddhism.

Capitalising on this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed in 2015 that the Chinese traveller Xuan Zhang, who collected major Buddhist texts from India, had visited PM Modi's native village, 

 during one of his press briefings when he hosted Xi Jinping during his official state visit to India. Moreover, China and India often cooperate in promoting Buddhism as part of their cultural exchange efforts. However, the contentious issue of Tibet's Buddhist identity hinders further cooperation between Beijing and New Delhi.

Buddhism can also serve as a cultural lingua franca between India and China, fostering a greater dialogue referred to as the

 by Sudheendra Kulkarni, an aide to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This narrative posits that China and India are twin civilizations of the Himalayan region that have continuously communicated with each other throughout their history. 

Overall, the exploration and recognition of Buddhism's cultural significance have the potential to deepen the understanding and dialogue between India and China.

The Shared Heritage of India and China

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